China's Health Ministry announced Sunday it has detected Himalayan marmots in quake zone and called for step-up measures in preventing and controlling an outbreak of marmot plague.

Himalayan marmots have been found in Saimachang, a temporary settlement for quake survivors, in quake epicenter Gyegu Township of Yushu prefecture in China's northwestern Qinghai Province,read a notice posted on the ministry website Sunday.

The ministry said the quake zone had so far recorded no outbreak of major epidemics but faced "severe" challenges in preventing and controlling an outbreak of marmot plague.

The ministry is closely monitoring marmots activities on a land area of 600 hectares in the quake zone which had historical records of plague outbreaks.

The ministry has urged health authorities in Qinghai Province to distribute bilingual disease prevention brochures and leaflets in both Chinese and Tibetan.

More than 3,000 people including medical experts and monks were told and trained on how to control and prevent marmot plague, according to the ministry.

The ministry has asked the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention to mobilize national efforts to assist local health authorities in Qinghai Province to prevent the outbreak of marmot plague.

Marmots come out of hibernation in April each year but might wake earlier this year because of the quake, Ni Daxin, an epidemiologist with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention in charge of epidemic risk evaluation of the quake zone, told Xinhua on April 20.